Cliff's Edge
by Maebmin
Summary: Snow meets Bigby for a late work night in her car.


Snow turned the keys in her ignition and let the motor die. Her car was parked in the back corner of a narrow alleyway, tucked away in the shadows between neon lights and the faint mist of rain. It was a cool autumn night, and Snow breathed a sigh of relief as it became more certain that summer was letting go of its hold on the city.

Despite the inconvenience, Snow was actually looking forward to tonight. She wouldn't admit that to Bigby, though. He had asked for her help with a stakeout…more specifically, her car's help. Following the events of this summer, there was plenty of reason to still suspect that some nefarious trade was occurring in Fabletown. Bigby had pinpointed some various crops of suspects, but under Snow's direction, was trying to handle things in a less… _direct_ approach.

The passenger door opened suddenly and Snow jumped before her eyes met with a familiar damp trench coat. The sheriff wrestled his way inside while holding two paper cups of coffee, the warm bitterness filling the car. He handed one to her before slamming the door shut.

"Rain's coming in. I can smell it."

"Will we even be able to see well enough? We're already across the street."

"Who knows. The rain will probably just help us keep our cover, though."

Snow nodded and yawned, stretching her shoulders back. The day had been long, and not without its share of drama. Getting the office back into a regular routine had been more complicated than Snow imagined and it was only recently that things were beginning to feel normal by any stretch of the imagination. Thanks to the unusual state of things, Bigby and her had been even more distant than usual. He already had enough on his plate without the shuffling of the business office and the aftershocks of the incident.

"I hope you're not too tired. We might be here for a while."

She sipped at her coffee to placate him. "That's why I sent you out for these."

Bigby grunted in affirmation before he rolled the window down an inch or so and reached into his front pocket. Snow knew it was pointless to ask him not to smoke in the car. Knowing that he was considerate enough to roll down the window was a major step forward in their friendship, actually.

"Can you always smell the weather before it comes in?"

Bigby bit his cigarette between his teeth as he smiled, closing the lid on his lighter with a snap. "I wake up every morning and it's one of the first things that hits me."

"Seems like that would ruin the surprise, sometimes."

"How many times in your life have you been glad to be surprised by the weather?"

She scoffed. "All the time! There's nothing like looking out the window and seeing the rain…or the _snow!_ It's my favorite."

"It's your favorite while you look out from your apartment in the Woodlands, but knowing when the weather's going to change is lifesaving when you live out in the forest."

She shook her head in incredulity. "You know, I lived out in the woods, _too._ My life wasn't all castles and…and unicorns."

"…Wow, you never told me you had a _unicorn_."

She reached over and hit his arm with a little more force than she intended. " _Yeah,_ no one has suffered like _you_ have."

He laughed to himself before leaning to his opened window and blowing the smoke outside. "I'm sorry, I'm just sayin'. It's one of the advantages to having a good sense of smell."

Snow sipped her coffee, content with his attempt at groveling. The rain was beginning to pick up and she squinted at the set of doors that they were supposed to be watching.

"What's the time estimate on these guys?"

"I dunno. The information I had just said tonight."

" _Tonight?_ That could be hours."

"You've never been on a stake out, have you?"

Snow moved around in her seat to make herself more comfortable, and they shared silence for a few minutes. She rested against her steering wheel and looked forward, her eyes already beginning to glaze over from the quiet city street in front of them. She felt awkward suddenly, sitting there and only listening to him smoke. Why did things _never_ feel natural for her, especially when she was alone with him? Her mouth opened and her voice latched onto the first thing that came to her mind. "So what else is that nose good for?"

"Huh?"

"…Is it useful for much else?"

Bigby leaned back on his head rest, looking contemplative with a furrowed brow. "I mean, yeah. Especially in my line of work. Chasin' someone down, I can always tell where they've gone. Smell if someone's been in a room that they shouldn't have been in. That sort of thing."

"Wow. Truly, irreplaceable skills."

Bigby shook his head, shooting her a look before swallowing a response. "I'm telling you, it's _useful_. It's helpful outside of work too, sometimes…but usually it's just a hassle."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" He held his breath for a moment, thinking. "I mean, you can tell a lot with smell. You can sense changes that other people won't….Let's just say I'm more dialed into people's _honest_ emotions."

Snow's eyes narrowed. "You've never told me _that."_

"Well, it's not something I like to tell the whole world. There's nothing I can do about it, really, and I don't want people to feel like…I'm invading their privacy or something."

Snow leaned her elbow on the console between them, settling closer to Bigby. "What can you tell about me, just from my smell?"

Bigby swallowed before glancing at her with suspicious eyes. "What does that even _mean_?"

"Like, can you tell what I ate for breakfast? Or if I changed make up brands?"

"Yes, and yes. Come on, that's too easy."

Her eyes widened in horror. "You know what I eat for _breakfast?_ Ugh…"

He laughed. "Why is that so bad?"

"That means you're aware every time I eat something terrible."

"Snow, of all the smells in this city that I'm face to face with on a daily basis, yours is…quite pleasant. Don't worry about it…And your diet is _nothing_ compared to mine, so, please, give me some credit."

She bit her lip as she considered the possibilities. "Could you tell me what I smell like?"

Bigby grinned before glancing away. He almost looked embarrassed, which only heightened Snow's curiosity. "I don't know if I could put it into words…and it changes sometimes."

She turned to face him completely, staring into his eyes. "What about now?"

"Uhm…well…it's always sweet. In a very real, sort of organic way. Like sugar cane." His eyes unfocused as he sat in thought, the ash from his cigarette building up at the end. "And then your artificial scents go on top of that. Those are sort of powdery and manufactured. Sometimes they give me a headache, but I get over it pretty quickly."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. And don't try to change it just because I said that." He considered it more, taking one final drag from his cigarette before tossing it out into the rain. "And then, coffee. You always smell like coffee. Coffee and milk. But your emotions play with it too."

"What about right now?"

"Right now?" He glanced at her, as if that honed in his ability to smell her. "A little tired."

"Be _honest._ "

He smirked. "You have a drink before you came here tonight?"

Snow's mouth opened in surprise. "Well…I mean…" Her voice stammered, "It was just _one_. I usually do when I go home for the evening…"

He rose in hands in defense. "Hey, there's no judgement here."

Snow rolled her eyes and turned back to face her steering wheel. She pulled her coat more tightly around her body, stretching her calves out on the car floor as she tried to act like she wasn't embarrassed. The shot of gin she took before arriving here was supposed to take the edge off, but it was possible that it was doing its job _too_ well. Her stomach fluttered as she considered all the time that was left in the night still. She tried to relax into her seat, her eyes glassing over as she stared out the window. "It must be helpful on dates, at least."

"Do you think I go on a lot of dates?"

She shrugged, as she was honestly unsure of the truth.

"It actually can be quite debilitating, you know." He spoke under his breath with a rough voice.

"In what way?"

Bigby shifted his weight before he touched his forehead to the window. "You know…a few months back, when we were both stressed out of our minds….It's hard to be picking up on you like that. Especially when we both had our work to do and we couldn't take any time to take care of ourselves." He laughed under his breath. "It's tough to be aware of that kind of stuff when I know you'd kill me if I told you to go lay down, rightfully."

She was taken aback by his honesty, but nodded in agreement as her mind turned over the events of the summer in her head. "It's hard for me to imagine you being worried about me when you were the one who took a bullet to your heart."

He shook his head dismissively, "There's a lot more to stress than just the physical. I could feel it taking its toll on you, which is hard when you're so…stoic. You're too good of a leader to admit when something bothers you."

"I didn't mean to cut you out during that time, Bigby. I really appreciated your support. But I couldn't really make that clear during the summer. I felt like I had to stay distant, you know? I just—"

"You don't have to explain. It's hard enough doing this job without explaining how you _feel_ about all the shit that happens around you. And…it's not like I've always been direct with you."

She laughed, shaking her head as the memories flooded back to her. She had known Bigby for _so long_ , and there was so much history between them. Some of the things he had pulled in the past still made her clench her fist in anger, but his generosity had been all-too necessary the past few years. They had always shared a connection; Snow had never denied that privately. But…"I have to say…it's only been recently that you've been…uh…reliable."

Bigby swallowed loud enough for her to hear. "I know."

They shared a sullen, heavy silence as they both shared their web of history and hurt feelings in their thoughts. The rain pounded heavily on the car, hitting the roof with a metallic clamor. The door across the street that they were supposed to be watching was completely blurred from sight through the watery windshield and the clouded windows.

"I know it doesn't _change_ things, Snow. I know there's a lot of shit in our lives. I can't change the past, but I can't just keep repeating it…I…I'm trying to be here _now._ "

Snow held her breath tightly in her chest. Her hand was nearly shaking when she reached over and placed it on Bigby's knee. She kept her eyes on it despite the darkness, not yet willing to glance up and meet his gaze. The connection between their bodies was sweet and gratifying, but she knew the electricity it generated was dangerous and a lump grew in her throat.

"I know. I appreciate that."

All these thoughts disintegrated when Bigby placed his rough hand on top of hers. The sudden gesture made her jaw clench. Snow's eyes closed and she took in the entire scene with great care, setting the memory permanently. Her anxiety disappeared and her breathing slowed.

"The strangest thing about us is that I miss you all the time, but I've never had you."

She sat up and leaned towards Bigby, kissing him warmly on the cheek. She finally met his eyes as he turned to her slowly. With his other hand, he reached out to her face, holding her cheek before pulling her forward gently and kissing her. Snow pushed back against him, and her breath now quickened. She would not let him leave her lips so soon. All of this built up want from the stress of this summer had begun to pour out of her. She was rattled with desire and snapshots of memories flashed in her mind. His bleeding body. Her fear for his life. His concerned eyes. The late nights. She had tried so hard to put it all behind her, but it had never gone away. They had entered an intimacy that they could not back out of, and Snow's body was finally accepting it and _seeking_ it.

They sat stiffly, both leaning over the console between them. The barrier was frustrating, and Snow pushed him away momentarily to pull herself between the two seats and fall onto her back into the bench seating behind them. Bigby paused, his eyes trailing down her body, before he sat up and scaled the seats as she did, pinning her body between his arms as he held himself above her. It was happening so fast, but she understood and welcomed the necessity. It was like a dam bursting open, an unstoppable force after months of defiance. Snow struggled to sit up to pull out her crushed bun from underneath her head, tossing her tie in indifference. She reached up to cup Bigby's face in her hands, kissing him deeply as he pressed harder against her. Manicured fingernails scrapped against his five-o'clock shadow as she relished every detail of his roughness.

Already bored, her hand reached down to loosen his tie and unbutton the top of his shirt. With his neck free, her fingers strayed down under his shirt to his back as she struggled to pull him closer to her. His skin was smooth and hot under her touch. Her skirt was creeping up towards her waist, and she could feel Bigby's frustration grow at the sight of her pantyhose. Every layer of clothing was suddenly such a nuisance and her body burned to pull them off.

"Just rip them, they're already starting to run." Her voice was thick and dark with her demands. Bigby sat up on his knees and met her sapphire eyes, refusing to look away as both hands travelled between her legs and grasped her before pulling the nylon and tearing it open, pulling the remnants down each leg. Snow gasped and trembled in her anticipation. Her underwear came next, though he was patient enough to carefully guide them down her thighs. She wouldn't have minded either way, though.

Sitting on his knees, Bigby kneeled forward, pushing his rough cheeks against her porcelain thighs. His face crept closer to her and Snow kept a keen eye on his movements. She held her breath and bit her crimson lips before her head suddenly rocked backwards, her fingers clenching the slippery leather seats. The warmth of his lips and the introduction of his tongue forced her breath out of her lungs. Her arms went up above her shoulders, her knuckles grazing the cool steam on the window behind her as her elbows went lax.

"Bigby! Oh…oh, my god." Her words crumbled into whimpers and squeaks. With his face being gripped by her thighs, his empty hands reached to Snow's chest, squeezing her waist and her breasts. She slumped her head against the seat as her muscles turned weak. One of his hands climbed upwards to her neck and her face, his fingers working carefully to caress her lips and cheeks. His gentle touch was so foreign, yet so welcome to her. She had spent so many nights in bed, going over their guilty stares at each other in the office and the fucking _tension_ that only _grew stronger_ in emergencies. There were days she had to stop herself from going into his office and just bending over at his desk. God, how many times could he _smell_ her like that?

She smiled, thinking about it now. She wondered if her sudden move on him was completely anticipated. If so, she felt rather bad for him, because she loved the surprise.

Eventually, Bigby picked up his pace, and Snow's body started to tense up in excitement. His movements were growing faster and she could hear his heavy breathing. Snow's fingers and toes curled and her back arched before she let out a cry that descended into a drawn out moan. She reached down to Bigby's head and clutched at his hair, pressing him further into her. She shook violently before her whole body tensed and then released. Her back flopped against the seat while her heart raced and she coughed from exhaustion, her lungs burning with strain. Her eyes opened once more, drawn to the neon pink sheen coming from the window above her, the rain drops barely visible through the steam their bodies had created. Her breathing slowed as she listened to the continuing rain and she closed her eyes again.

Bigby sat up, stretching out his neck with his hands before wiping his mouth in satisfaction. He relaxed in his seat, straightening out his tie pointlessly. Snow's eyes could barely open enough to see him, but when she did, she caught his glowing smile. His gaze moved slowly on her, and he shook his head.

"What?" Her voice was rough and quiet.

He leaned down to her, lying on his side to be closer to her. The leather stretched underneath him as he made himself more comfortable on the narrow seat. "I've known your smell for centuries, but I never could have imagined how you tasted."

Snow blushed and looked away.

"I'll never forget it."

She cleared her throat, her busy mind coming back to her. She wanted desperately not to lose the moment and lose her words to her nervousness again. "Bigby."

"Yeah?"

"I know I can't…I can't always be available. But I want you to know that…that I've cared for you for a long time."

"You don't have to explain yourself, Snow. It's okay to just…be." His hand brushed her matted hair lightly from her forehead. "But uh…thanks."

They lay there together, disheveled and tired, for only a few more minutes. There was work to be _done_ , of course.


End file.
